general
Sunday Night Football: Treylon Burks, John Bates active for Commanders-Eagles
Treylon Burks and John Bates are active for the Commanders-Eagles game, despite being listed as questionable
John Bates
TE · WAS · 28 yrs · exp 5 · Boise State
Status
- Game status
- Active
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - Ready to go for SNF
sleeper-rotowire+4 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates (shoulder) is active for Sunday night's matchup with the Eagles. Bates was dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the week, but he'll ultimately be able to give it a go for Sunday Night Football. He'll operate as a depth option behind Chig Okonkwo and Ben Sinnott at tight end versus Philadelphia
general
Commanders add DT Daron Payne to injury report as questionable
The Commanders had already ruled out defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee). He missed practice all week. Now they could be without another defensive tackle. The Commanders added Daron Payne to the practice report on Friday with a foot injury that has him questionable to play. Payne was limited in Friday’s practice. Tight end John Bates (shoulder), wide receiver Treylon Burks (foot) and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (pectoral) are also questionable. All three were limited in Friday’s practice. The Commanders added wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (hip) to the injury report as a limited participant Friday, but he has no injury designation. Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (left elbow) and Marcus Mariota (knee) and wide receiver Stefon Diggs (hand/hamstring) are good to go as well
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - Questionable for SNF
sleeper-rotowire+4 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles. Bates missed each of the first two practices of Week 8 prep while tending to a shoulder injury, but he was on the field with a non-contact jersey Friday as a limited participant, per Ben Standig of The Team 980 Washington D.C.. Colson Yankoff and Ben Sinnott would both be in line for more offensive snaps if Bates is not cleared to play in Sunday's NFC East tilt
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - Misses another practice due to shoulder
sleeper-rotowire+4 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates was a non-participant in Thursday's practice due to a shoulder injury. Bates has been a spectator for the Commanders' first two Week 8 practices and will need to get back on the field in some capacity to put himself in position to play Sunday against the Eagles. The sixth-year tight end has played at least 30 percent of the offensive snaps in each of the Commanders' first six games, mainly serving as a blocking specialist while recording five receptions for 27 yards on six targets
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates catches only target in Week 5
John Bates caught his only target for one yard in the Commanders' 27-27 tie against the New York Giants in Week 5. Bates has seen minimal involvement in the Washington offense of late, recording one target or less in each of the last four contests. The tight end can remain off rosters in all formats ahead of a Week 6 contest against the San Francisco 49ers
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates catches pass in Week 3
John Bates caught a pass for 9 yards in Week 3, but remains a risky option in the Washington offense
analyst
John Bates Could See a Larger Role in Commanders Offense
Across his first two games of 2026, Washington Commanders tight end John Bates has recorded just two catches for 13 yards on three targets. However, the 28-year-old could see more playing time in his team's Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Commanders TE1 Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) is set to miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. While Bates was not heavily utilized in Week 2, Washington got uninspiring production from the tight end duo of Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff. Bates has recorded just 74 receptions across 84 career games with the Commanders, so he's no guarantee to step in and provide fantasy-relevant production. Still, Bates could be a name to monitor in deep fantasy leagues coming out of Week 3
TE · WAS
transaction
FA: John Bates dropped
sleeper-tx-free_agent+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Drops: John Bates
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - No targets in loss
sleeper-rotowire+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates played 22 offensive snaps and 14 special-teams snaps in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Cowboys. Bates played 22 of the Commanders' 71 offensive snaps in his start. The tight end was primarily used as a blocker for the team's run game but did not steal any targets from Ben Sinnott in the effort
TE · WAS
outlook
2026 Season Outlook
sleeper-outlook+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is heading into a sixth season with the Commanders and has firmly established himself as a reliable blocker and No. 2 tight end. Prized free-agent signee Chig Okonkwo looks firmly in position to dominate QB Jayden Daniels' targets to the TE position with veteran Zach Ertz (torn ACL) still a free agent, but Bates looks solidified as Okonkwo's top backup. It's possible 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott will challenge for that role, however
TE · WAS
transaction
Waiver: John Bates added
sleeper-tx-waiver+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Adds: John Bates
general
Four Commanders players Washington should use more vs. Dallas Cowboys than they did vs. Philly
Washington Commanders may need to adjust their personnel to beat the Cowboys
TE · WAS
transaction
Waiver: John Bates added
sleeper-tx-waiver+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Adds: John Bates
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - Slated for TE1 duties Week 2
sleeper-rotowire+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates should take on an elevated role against the Cowboys on Sunday after Chig Okonkwo was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Bates has primarily been utilized as a run blocker during his NFL career, though he did come up with two catches (on three targets) for 13 yards during the Commanders' 24-22 loss to the Eagles in Week 1. Bates should see an uptick in offensive snaps and targets from Jayden Daniels due to Okonkwo's absence, with Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff also in the mix for elevated roles
TE · WAS
transaction
FA: John Bates added, Ja'Tavion Sanders dropped
sleeper-tx-free_agent+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Adds: John Bates. Drops: Ja'Tavion Sanders
general
NFL Power Rankings: Washington Commanders are better after 2-point loss?
A week 1 loss for Washington doesn’t drop them too far in the rankings
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates catches two passes in Week 1
John Bates caught two of his three targets for 13 yards in the Commanders' 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Bates saw minimal involvement in a disappointing Washington passing attack, averaging just 6.5 yards per catch in the loss. The tight end can remain off rosters in all formats, with a Week 2 divisional contest against the Dallas Cowboys up next
analyst
John Bates on TE Streaming Radar Due to Teammate's Injury
John Bates' fantasy value may increase due to teammate Chig Okonkwo's injury
TE · WAS
analyst
John Bates - Two catches in loss
sleeper-rotowire+5 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Bates caught two of three targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 24-22 loss to the Eagles. Bates started along with Chig Okonkwo at tight end, and he garnered more than two targets in a regular-season game for the first time since Week 9 of the 2025 campaign. Bates was on the field for 34 of the team's 70 total offensive snaps while also logging 15 more snaps on special teams
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.